The St. Louis Cardinals wrap up a late-season road stop in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, sending Andre Pallante to the mound against Pirates right-hander Jared Jones at PNC Park for a 6:40 PM ET first pitch. With the regular season winding down, every game carries weight in the NL Central standings. St. Louis brings a lineup that leans on Alec Burleson, Jordan Walker, and Iván Herrera to generate offense against one of Pittsburgh's more dynamic young arms. This one airs locally on Cardinals.TV Presented by bet365 and on KMOX 1120 AM/104.1 FM.

Cardinals vs. Pirates Starting Pitchers: Pallante Faces Jones

Andre Pallante gets the ball for St. Louis. Pallante has spent time in both the rotation and bullpen during his Cardinals career, and his ability to generate ground balls and work efficiently early in counts will matter against a Pirates lineup that has some legitimate left-on-left and right-on-right coverage throughout the order. He'll need to be sharp — Pittsburgh's Bryan Reynolds and Oneil Cruz in the middle of the order can do damage when pitchers leave mistakes in the zone.

On the other side, Jared Jones represents a legitimate challenge. The young Pirates right-hander has electric stuff, and Cardinals hitters will need a patient, disciplined approach to get to him. Jones is the kind of pitcher who can get hitters chasing out of the zone, so a short at-bat approach will not work here. St. Louis needs Burleson at the three-hole and Walker in the cleanup spot to set the tone early.

St. Louis Cardinals Starting Lineup at PNC Park

• JJ Wetherholt — 2B
• Iván Herrera — DH
• Alec Burleson — 1B
• Jordan Walker — RF
• Leo Bernal — C
• Bryan Torres — LF
• Thomas Saggese — 3B
• Nathan Church — CF
• Masyn Winn — SS

Pittsburgh Pirates Starting Lineup

• Konnor Griffin — SS
• Brandon Lowe — 2B
• Bryan Reynolds — LF
• Oneil Cruz — CF
• Rafael Flores Jr. — C
• Ryan O'Hearn — DH
• Ronny Simon — RF
• Spencer Horwitz — 1B
• Jacob Gonzalez — 3B

Keys to Watch for the Cardinals

• Pallante's first-pitch strike rate: If Pallante gets ahead early and avoids deep counts, he keeps the Pirates offense off-balance. Let Reynolds and Cruz work long at-bats and this game can get away from St. Louis in a hurry.
• Burleson and Walker producing with runners on base: The Cardinals need production from the middle of the order. Both Burleson and Walker have the tools to make pitchers pay for mistakes, and Jones will make them earn it.
• Masyn Winn setting a tone from the nine-hole: Winn batting ninth gives St. Louis a second table-setter of sorts. His ability to reach base and manufacture pressure ahead of Wetherholt at the top makes the Cardinals lineup deeper than a traditional bottom-of-the-order slot suggests.
• Bullpen management: If Pallante gets through five or six innings, the Cardinals bullpen situation becomes the critical variable. Late September arms management matters for every team at this point of the year.

Prediction: Cardinals vs. Pirates on September 22, 2026

This is a tight game on paper. Jones is a handful, and Pallante will have to work for every out against a Pirates lineup built around Cruz and Reynolds. But St. Louis has enough in Burleson, Walker, and Herrera to put a crooked number on the board if Jones makes even one or two mistakes in the middle innings. Pallante keeps it close early, the Cardinals bullpen holds, and St. Louis gets a narrow road win. Cardinals 4, Pirates 3.